Olympus Has Fallen: Hollow, Die Hard echo

MANILA, Philippines – Once in a while, I find myself remembering Stateside filmmaker Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 hit “Training Day” then getting the urge to watch it for a 5th or 6th time. It’s not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but that cop drama had an engaging, occasionally gripping narrative penned by David Ayer (who has since written several action thrillers, including his own, 2012 directorial effort “End of Watch”).

Over a decade later, Fuqua now serves up “Olympus Has Fallen,” a violent extravaganza depicting the White House under siege and the American commander in chief held hostage. And not only does “Olympus” not boast of “Training Day’s” compulsive repeatability, it’s not deserving of widespread first-time viewing either.

The primary problem about “Olympus Has Fallen” is that, as scripted by Hollywood debutantes Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt, the movie is much too reminiscent of the first, 1988 edition of “Die Hard,” with lead actor (and co-producer) Gerard Butler, the Scottish star of “300,” filling Bruce Willis’s absent shoes. 

To wit: The main proceedings taking place in one tense evening? Check. The proceedings taking place in one claustrophobic, labyrinthine setting? Check. 

The “only hope” is a lone hero against many baddies? Check. (On that note: While Willis on “Die Hard” was a street-smart LA cop, Butler in “Olympus” is a US Army ranger turned Secret Service agent. That detail might kill comparisons yet the “Olympus” savior’s enhanced credentials likewise kill root-for-the-dude empathy.) 

The bad guys — save for one traitor — are mostly non-Americans? Check. A senior authority figure, despite the lone ranger’s warnings, makes a bad, fatal call? Check. And the lead protagonist makes it alive after a death-defying (but green-screen-aided) stunt? Check.

Unlike “Die Hard,” however, “Olympus Has Fallen” is largely bereft of a jokey, smart-aleck sensibility. Instead, it’s the violence that gets upped, via knifings, shootings, punching, and kicking that are varying degrees of brutal. 

Worse, and in a rather canny bit of timeliness, “Olympus’s” chief villain is of North Korean descent. While his larger aim is to unify the Koreas by forcing the G.I.s to leave the Korean demilitarized zone, he packs an anti-imperialist bonus: the nuclear destruction and resulting makeover of the USA into a vast wasteland. 

It’s not exactly that woeful a discredit to a foreign race the way, say, the first “Taken” was a disservice to the French but “Olympus’” resorting to an Asian for its main antagonist is an uncomfortable sight, if not a downright lamentable choice.

“Olympus Has Fallen” also relies heavily on computer-based special effects and add-ons (the movie was shot in Louisiana, with the presidential residence and other Washington, DC details digitally added at post-prod). While this may be expected of a high-stakes caper which shows the White House up in smoke, the discernible fakeness of such scenes only go to show how ludicrous — if not altogether impossible — a brazen takeover of the White House would be. 

Yet arguably the worst offense “Olympus” commits upon the hapless viewer is in being an unengaging, by-the-numbers diversion. Notwithstanding the interesting exposure of the White House’s secret (but, here’s hoping, imagined) ins and outs, there is hardly a moment here that calls for any substantial emotional investment. At certain points when the stakes can be raised exponentially, the story sticks to the safety of a comfort zone, abetted by a lazy predictability at almost every turn. 

While the cast is a cornucopia of competence — inclusive of Angela Bassett, Morgan Freeman, Robert Forster, Melissa Leo and Aaron Eckhart — even the actors seem to hardly give their all onscreen, their minds probably imagining what viewers might be doing: looking at their watch and wondering how soon ’til the end credits roll. (Eckhart, as the US prez, is not even given the chance to exhibit an iota of kick-assery the way Harrison Ford did in “Air Force One.”)

Interestingly, there will be another, American-president-in-jeopardy flick in a few months: “White House Down,” a Channing Tatum-Jaime Foxx starrer that doubles as the next mindless bonanza from disaster flick specialist Roland Emmerich. While it remains to be seen whether that caper would be an improvement on its predecessor twin, “Olympus” is for now the passable indulgence for the anything-will-do action junkie. 

But for those looking for a less wasteful movie time, head on down to an Astrovision, Odyssey or a department-store video section and have a nice “Training” day. – Rappler.com

‘Olympus Has Fallen’ is rated R13 by the MTRCB and is now playing in theaters.